Hunting for Life on Mars by Studying Life on Earth

Modern-day Mars is a dry, harsh environment with no surface water, but billions of years ago it might have been water-rich, like Earth. Scientists believe that, as water was lost on Mars, the remaining would become increasingly salty and rich in sulphur. By researching environments Earth similar chemistry, we can develop hypotheses about whether life could existed Mars. In our research, studied Colour Peak, sulphur-rich, spring system Canadian High Arctic. This contains bacteria that use sulphur to get their energy. studying sediment samples from this region, confirmed used an energy source potentially lived These results help scientists who are analysing data missions identify evidence former